The Glass Cieling

This essay The Glass Cieling has a total of 2106 words and 9 pages.
The Glass Cieling

The "glass ceiling" has held women back from certain positions and opportunities in the workplace. Women are stereotyped as part-time, lower-grade workers with limited opportunities for training and advancement because of this "glass ceiling". How have women managed their careers when confronted by this glass ceiling? It has been difficult; American women have struggled for their role in society since 1848. Women’s roles have changed significantly throughout the past centuries because of their willingness and persistence. Women have contributed to the change pace of their role in the workplace by showing motivation and perseverance.
The Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 started a women’s rights movement; a small group of women demanded the right to vote, claim progress in property rights, experience employment and educational opportunities, have social freedoms, and other essential demands touching every aspect of life. Women wanted a change and needed a new place in society. They did not have the most basic democratic equality of all, the equal right to vote, until the 19th amendment was adopted in 1920. As they gained the right to vote, women began feeling the right to explore other opportunities.
In the 1920s, women struggled to develop a work identity that would give them professional status and preserve their femininity (Walkowitz, 1051). They wanted to be eligible for an executive position, but at the same time they also wanted to be Women finally began working outside the home, but not yet at the level, status, and rank they deserved. They deserved
Women have long participated in American business, and their roles have greatly changed. The jobs that women held at first were considered simple and feminine. Many were secretaries, office helpers, or assistants to male executives. Some women were known as the earlier entrepreneurs, the traditionals (Emmott, 521). Traditionals were usually sole proprietors who extended domestic services and related skills into the marketplace. These women entrepreneurs opened the way to new horizons for other women in the workplace for future years.
In the 1950s, women comprised less than one third of the labor force (Berger, 4) (See Appendix B). Women had their place in the workforce, yet it was not very influencial. Women had to fight to hold their positions while confronting many hardships. They had to contend with management’s efforts to rationalize work with their family’s expectations of being a mother.
Women also had to live up to their family heritage and what their family’s thoughts were of a woman in the workforce. Some women felt that family issues had delayed the dawn of their careers. Barbara White, in Women’s Career Development, describes these women as late starters. Late starters are women who have been held back because of other commitments, beliefs or opinions. Some of today’s ‘profssionals’ made late commitments to their careers. Thirty-one percent decided that they would work at an early age because of family morals and traditions (White, 104).
Women entered their chosen occupation at the bottom of the business ladder. A very small number of them became entrepreneurs; it took determination, even though they were already part of the workforce. The ones who did strive to become entrepreneurs were known as ‘go-getters’ (White, 104). ‘Go-getters’ were hard-working women who wanted a significant role in American society. Some of these women had a problem with being segregated from men in the workplace. Certain fields were then classified as a male, female, or a neutral occupation. The majority of successful women entered what could be described as neutral or predominantly female careers (White, 51). Most of the successful women had professional and vocational qualifications, having studied business administration. (See Appendix A). Women were then expected to enter one of these fields, if they were to pursue any career at all. As some women became lucky and were able to acquire a college or university education, so too did biases against women by the male-dominated professions. Well-educated women struggled to build careers by establishing a series of popular professions, including teaching, social work, librarianship, and nursing.
In American Dreams, a series of oral histories compiled by Studs Terkel, several women describe their experiences in the workforce. One of these women, Joan Crawford, is an old-fashioned example of how women made it in society. She was a very poor girl

Read essay without registering

Donate an essay now and get the full essay emailed you. Upload File
Acceptable files: .txt, .doc, .docx, .rtfEmail Address

Topics Related to The Glass Cieling

Essays Related to The Glass Cieling

Executive Women: Substance Plus StyleExecutive Women: Substance Plus Style PSYC 4310 Executive Women: Substance Plus Style The article Executive Women: Substance Plus Style deals with the issue of whether the abilities and attitudes of male managers are different from those of female managers and that these differences have been used to keep women out of managerial positions. Furthermore, it suggests that it has now become fashionable to state that these differences are favorable and complement the business environment. Lastl

Gender InequalityGender Inequality The issue of gender inequality is one which has been publicly reverberating through society for decades. The problem of inequality in employment being one of the most pressing issues today. In order to examine this situation one must try to get to the root of the problem and must understand the sociological factors that cause women to have a much more difficult time getting the same benefits, wages, and job opportunities as their male counterparts. The society in which we live

MTV and The Madonna PhenomenonMTV and The Madonna Phenomenon Madonna\'s intuitive grasp on the televisual world in which we live- of the medium\'s possibilities for engaging spectators in diverse ways- that in part accounts for her success. She is the supreme television heroine. (E. Ann Kaplan 271) What are the main theories which we have studied so far and how have they affected how you view television?-This is the question which this paper is supposed to answer. Obviously there is not enough time or space in which to d

Native Canadians in LiteratureNative Canadians in Literature Introduction: Literature offers a strong and passionate voice for the past. The literature of the Native Canadian is a voice we, the people of Canada, can no longer ignore. There is little to be gained by dwelling on the past. Nevertheless, there is much to be realized by accepting what has passed, with all of its mistakes and dust we might otherwise wish to hide under the carpets. English literature, since at least the sixteenth century, has a firm grounding in Ca

Political CommunicationPolitical Communication Politics and the media have long been intimately involved with each other, with media strongly setting an agenda in which politics is very important. (Harris 1999,p.167) “Our perceived reality of the real world is largely a product of the media.” (Harris 1999,p.186) It is not known which influences more but there are definitely two sides to the story. Many studies have been done to decide but each comes out with different answers. Many say that the media has more of an im

Romeo And JulietRomeo And Juliet SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN THE WORK PLACE Sexual harassment has been a prevalent occurrence in workplace across the country. Sexual aberration can lead to damage to personal reputation, loss of dignity, or even physical injury. Although it is illegal, it continues to happen in this politically correct era. Sexual harassment has many definitions and therefore some people find it difficult to define. Many case studies have been done on the subject of sexual harassment in the workplace i

Two Parents Or One?Two Parents Or One? Family life is much different today than what it used to be. Several years ago mothers would stay at home with their children while the father went to work to support his family, but it is nothing like that today in American households. Today it is common for children to be raised by just one of their parents, and those children are often disadvantaged in several ways. The most consistent finding from studies of family structure shows that single parents exert weaker controls

Another Abortion PaperAnother Abortion Paper Birth Control or Legal Murder? Approximately 1.6 million murders are committed legally each year. With the exception of laws in few states, the mutilated bodies of the victims are thrown into dumpsters like pieces of rotten meat. While these victims lay waiting in the infested dumpsters to be hauled off to a landfill, the murderers are in their offices waiting for their next patient--the accomplice to the murder. This is the murder of an innocent child by a procedure known

The Effects of Stress, Alcohol Outcome ExpectancieThe Effects of Stress, Alcohol Outcome Expectancies, Gender, Coping Styles, and Family Alcoholism on Alcohol Consumption Research Proposal by Josh Robbins 100-928-594 November 26, 1996 Economics 143 Abstract One large component of American popular culture today is alcohol. A common stereotype for the effects of alcohol is that as a drug it acts as a stress antagonist. This theory was introduced by Conger (1956) as the Tension Reduction Hypothesis (TRW). It states that alcohol\'s sedative action

Birth Control and AbortionBirth Control and Abortion ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- A paper I wrote for my Advanced Composition class in 1995. I am happy to say that I got an A+ on it!!!! The paper contains no religious reasons that abortion is wrong, though I believe with all my heart that God is saddened everyday by the millions of His children that are killed. I used just medical and scientific fact to prove my point. Enjoy! ------------------------------------------------

Equal PayEqual Pay Mike K. Essay on equal pay in the work place. In 1963, President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law, making it unlawful to discriminate against a worker on the basis of sex. Since that time, the wage gap between men and women in the United States has narrowed by just 15 cents, now being 74 cents, as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau. Pay equality is most prevalent for the 16 to 24 age group, in which women earn more than 90 percent of what men do; however, the gap becomes 75 pe

Marketing NotesChapter 1 - Marketing In a ChangingMarketing NotesChapter 1 - Marketing In a Changing WorldWhat is marketing?- Creating customer value and stratification are at the very heart of modernmarketing thinking and practice.Market Defined- Markets always focus at satisfying customers needs- Marketing: A social and managerial process by which individuals and groupsobtain what they need and want through creating exchanging products and valuewith others.- Needs: States of felt deprivation- Wants: Are the form taken by human needs as they a

The Effects of Stress, Alcohol Outcome ExpectancieThe Effects of Stress, Alcohol Outcome Expectancies, Gender, The Effects of Stress, Alcohol Outcome Expectancies, Gender, Coping Styles, and Family Alcoholism on Alcohol Consumption Research Proposal by Josh Robbins 100-928-594 November 26, 1996 Economics 143 Abstract One large component of American popular culture today is alcohol. A common stereotype for the effects of alcohol is that as a drug it acts as a stress antagonist. This theory was introduced by Conger (1956) as the Tension Reduction

Women As LeadersWomen As Leaders More and more women are rising to the leadership challenge, even in some of the most male-dominated industries. The increase in the number of women attending university, in the workplace or starting their own business has demonstrated to men who own businesses that women can be both managers and mothers, thus showing their male counterpart that women can in fact do it all . In this paper the history of women in the workforce will be outlined, as well as the challenges they face.

Discrimination Against The ElderlyDiscrimination Against The Elderly Discrimination against the Elderly American society has been described as maintaining a stereotypic and often negative perception of older adults. This negative and/or stereotypic perception of aging and aged individuals is apparent in such areas as language, media, and humor. For example, such commonly used phrases as over the hill and an old fart denote old age as a period of impotency and incompetence. The term used to describe this stereotypic and often neg

DrugsDrugs TOBACCO Tobacco is a plant grown for its leaves that are smoked, chewed, or sniffed for a variety of effects. It is considered an addictive substance because it contains the chemical nicotine. The tobacco plant is believed to have originated in the Western Hemisphere. The cultivated species most often grown for North American and European tobacco products is Nicotine Tabacum. The leaves of the plant are prepared for smoking, chewing, or sniffing. In addition nicotine tobacco contains over

The Effects of MediaThe Effects of Media An image, disturbing to picture, of a child’s mind and inside the child’s mind is a schema of every concept the adolescent has ever taken in. A Nazi swastika symbolizes an evil hatred from history, the child has learned that prejudice is wrong. A mental picture of a young bride walking down an isle, the child knows marriage is sacred and that the woman can take pride in her white dress. A Coke bottle brings the sweetness of cola to the youth’s taste buds. This person was bio

Egalia's DaughtersEgalia\'s Daughters Socialization of Gender, Is it inherently negative? Egalia’s Daughters My first reaction to Egalia’s Daughters, by Gerd Brantenberg, was something like WHAT is this . I was immediately very confused, and had no idea what this author was writing about. In fact, I felt as though I opened the book to the middle of a story, and became turned off by the whole experience. It took about three chapters, and someone’s help, until I started to read the book understandably, with ease, a

Beloved And Toni MorrisonBeloved And Toni Morrison Toni Morrison, the first black woman to receive Nobel Prize in Literature, was born Chloe Anthony Wofford on February 18, 1931 in Lorain, Ohio, U.S.A. She was the second of four children of George Wofford, a shipyard welder and Ramah Willis Wofford. Her parents moved to Ohio from the South to escape racism and to find better opportunities in the North. Her father was a hardworking and dignified man. While the children were growing up, he worked three jobs at the same ti

Gender Inequality Still ExistsGender Inequality Still Exists Gender Inequality still exists Is there any difference between the education acquired by men and women in college? My answer to that question would be that although the brick wall ( Forum 1) in education has been broken, we still have another, invisible barrier called the glass ceiling. ( Forum 1) Most people would say that education has changed a great deal since women began to attend institutions of higher learning. Is this completely true? Women have undoubtedly

Multicultural Education in AmericaMulticultural Education in America Multicultural Education in America America has long been called The Melting Pot due to the fact that it is made up of a varied mix of races, cultures, and ethnicities. As more and more immigrants come to America searching for a better life, the population naturally becomes more diverse. This has, in turn, spun a great debate over multiculturalism. Some of the issues under fire are who is benefiting from the education, and how to present the material in a way so

SMOKING: The number one cause of lung cancerSMOKING: The number one cause of lung cancer SMOKING: THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF LUNG CANCER Lung cancer is a disease in which a primary cancer (the original site where the cancer occurred) develops in the tissue of the lungs. Lung cancer was first described by doctors in the mid 1800\'s. At the turn of the century, it was still considered a rarity; that has changed dramatically. What has not changed is the difficultly of detecting lung cancer in its earliest stages when it has the greatest chance

Social Conflict TheorySocial Conflict Theory The social conflict paradigm is a theory based on society being a complex system characterized by inequality and conflict that generate social change. Personal life experiences dictate me to believe this theory is true. Discussion of the theory in question and how it pertains to myself will be covered in the paper. Social conflict can be seen all over the world we live in: in sports, politics and normal social engagements. The main point I have experienced with this theory

Women Dowery Deaths In IndiaWomen Dowery Deaths In India Silenced by their culture large populations of women in India tolerate abuse and subsequent death because they have provided insufficient dowry. In a culture that is male dominated women are raised to be servants to their husbands often arranged to marry a man that they have never met. Women that are beaten or just unhappy must suppress their feelings to keep their husbands blissful or face shame and be turned away by their own families. Indian women’s household must

Shakespeare RereadShakespeare Reread When attempting to read criticism of Shakespeare plays one idea is clear: if the review was written more than five or ten years ago the essay is likely to be exclusive when it comes to the women in Shakespeare. Little attention had been given to the women of Shakespeare prior to the seventies feminist movement. The women in King Lear deserve attention just as women in every Shakespearean play do. A common idea among critics is that the women perpetuated evil and were not worth

HealthHealth Often we take our health, or the absence of illness, disease, or injury for granted until we become sick. It is then that we recognize the worth of being without ailments. It is then that we appreciate feeling strong, robust and healthy. Being healthy and, being physically and mentally sound, is associated with one\'s satisfaction with life. Developmental health psychologists - specialists who study the interaction of age, behavior, and health and gerontologists - specialists in the scien

A Technical Analysis of Ergonomics and Human FactoA Technical Analysis of Ergonomics and Human Factors in Modern Flight Deck Design I. Introduction Since the dawn of the aviation era, cockpit design has become increasingly complicated owing to the advent of new technologies enabling aircraft to fly farther and faster more efficiently than ever before. With greater workloads imposed on pilots as fleets modernize, the reality of he or she exceeding the workload limit has become manifest. Because of the unpredictable nature of man, this problem is

An End To Genetic DiseasesAn End To Genetic Diseases The United States has a very diverse heritage. There is no American race. Americans are the blending of many cultures throughout many generations. With this blending of cultures comes a blending of genes. In the past, genes have not been well understood. They were not understood until Mendel did experiments on plants to find out why different plants of the same species had different characteristics. His goal was to find the key to unlock the mystery of inheritance (Cop

Gene ManipulationGene Manipulation Throughout time, man has always questioned science. Man has been curious about life, space, our bodies, and our existence. Man has gone as far as to the moon, and cloning. Everyday there are new developments being researched. Along with these developments come the people’s opinion. Many people question the positive outcomes and negative outcomes of procedures such as gene manipulation, cloning, in vitro fertilization and fetal tissue implants. To this day, scientists are resear

Significance of Ritual in North American Indian ReSignificance of Ritual in North American Indian Religion Submitted by: Dan Xxxxxxxx, November 12, 1996 Submitted to: Dr. John X. Xxxxxxx RELST 110.6.01 When scholars study religion, the tendency exists to focus on the mythological aspects of the religion in an attempt to understand the major underlying concepts present. However, an equally rewarding study often can be accomplished through the careful analysis of the religion\'s ritual aspects. This is especially true when studying North American

A Review Of Psychology ArticlesA Review Of Psychology Articles In this paper I will review four articles, one movie, and one experiment conducted in class. The issue\'s all this information covers is sex differences and the degree to which they exists in men and women and why they are present. There will be varying points of view for all these issues with each article having its own studies or theory \'s to support its beliefs. The method for presenting this information will first be summaries of the media gathered then a gen

AbortionAbortion Birth Control or Legal Murder?Approximately 1.6 million murders are committed legally each year. Withthe exception of laws in few states, the mutilated bodies of the victims arethrown into dumpsters like pieces of rotten meat. While these victims laywaiting in the infested dumpsters to be hauled off to a landfill, themurderers are in their offices waiting for their next patient--theaccomplice to the murder. This is the murder of an innocent child by aprocedure known as abortion. Abortio

Ecological SelfEcological Self Diversity is a whirlwind of color through a society. There are no two people in the world that are exactly alike. Individuality distinguishes one person or thing from others (Landau, 364 Ed). A person’s environment as a whole: an interaction with others, experiences, and time, makes a collage of traits that distinguishes someone as an individual. David Sibley’s theory of the “Ecological Self” or Identity is bound by his determents of social, cultural, and spatial context. Sibley

Gay ParentingGay Parenting Lesbian and Gay Parenting I. SUMMARY OF RESEARCH FINDINGS Charlotte J. Patterson University of Virginia Like families headed by heterosexual parents, lesbian and gay parents and their children are a diverse group (Martin, 1993). Unlike heterosexual parents and their children, however, lesbian and gay parents and their children are often subject to prejudice because of sexual orientation that turns judges, legislators, professionals, and the public against them, frequently resulting

PsychologyPsychology INTRODUCTION The study of the way people think and behave is called psychology. The field of psychology has a number of sub-disciplines devoted to the study of the different levels and contexts of human thought and behavior. Social psychology, for example, deals with human thought and action in a social context, while physiological psychology is concerned with thought and behavior at the level of neurology. Another division of psychology, comparative psychology compares the thought an

A Developmental Study of Alex in Kubrick's A ClockA Developmental Study of Alex in Kubrick\'s A Clockwork Orange Synopsis of A Clockwork Orange In A Clockwork Orange, the main character is that of a mildly young child of 15 who, along with his fellow friends, or Droogs, partake in evenings of Ultra-Violence. Ultra Violence consists of random beatings, theft, destruction, and rape. The main character, Alex, is the self-proclaimed leader of the pack, and makes judgment on their actions pending on his mood. His Droogs eventually find themselves

David Selznick and Since You Went AwayDavid Selznick and Since You Went Away I have a different concept of producing than other producers. Some producers are money men, and others are just lieutenants. For me to produce is to make a picture. As a producer, I can maintain an editorial perspective that I wouldn\'t have as a director. I consider myself first a creative producer, then a showman and then a businessman. You need all three things to succeed in the business today. -David O. Selznick The film Since You Went Away was releas

A developmental study of Alex in the Stanley KubriA developmental study of Alex in the Stanley Kubrick producti Synopsis of A Clockwork Orange In A Clockwork Orange, the main character is that of a mildly young child of 15 who, along with his fellow friends, or Droogs, partake in evenings of Ultra-Violence. Ultra Violence consists of random beatings, theft, destruction, and rape. The main character, Alex, is the self-proclaimed leader of the pack, and makes judgment on their actions pending on his mood. His Droogs eventually find themselves u

David SelznickDavid Selznick ³I have a different concept of producing than other producers. Some producers are money men, and others are just lieutenants. For me to produce is to make a picture. As a producer, I can maintain an editorial perspective that I wouldn¹t have as a director. I consider myself first a creative producer, then a showman and then a businessman. You need all three things to succeed in the business today.² -David O. Selznick The film Since You Went Away was released in 1944. This epic fil

SmokingSmoking The first article for review is titled Self-efficacy, Health Locus of Control, and Smoking. This article studies how the participants confidence levels and health locus prior to entering treatment predicts results of the quitting program. The program is called Fresh Start and was conducted in Victoria, Australia. It consisted of three groups: (A) those who made an attempt (Stop for one day), (B) those who met criteria in A, and did not smoke for duration of program, (C) those who absta

America's militaryAmerica\'s military For decades, America’s military, and it’s citizens, have been grappling with a very important decision: should women be allowed to serve in combat? This issue has been in the media since I was in elementary school, and so far there is no end in sight. Although there are many advocators for allowing women to fight in the military conflicts, such as liberal feminists and equal rights activists, there is a great number of people, including military and government figureheads, wh

Gender Identity ConflictGender Identity Conflict In the story X: A Fabulous Child’s Story, a child is raised as an X. An X is a child who is assigned to a neutral gender by its parents and scientists. The parents of X raise the child to both girl and boy standards. This, however, is just a story. Raising a child with an assigned gender is impossible. Many factors go into the development of gender and gender identity. Theorists state that the issue of gender identity is based on the society where the child grows. Others

Affirmative Action: Public OPinion vs. PolicyAffirmative Action: Public OPinion vs. Policy When Justin Ketcham, a white college student from the suburbs, thinks about affirmative action, he thinks about what happened when he sent out letters seeking scholarships so he could attend Stanford University after being accepted during his senior year of high school.The organizations that wrote back told him their money was reserved for women or minorities. To Americans like Ketcham, it\'s a matter of fairness. The average white male will claim th

The Influence of Green Groups on the Policy of theThe Influence of Green Groups on the Policy of the United States Abstract: This research examines the relationship between environmental groups and the policies of the United States. The United States political system has been historically anthropocen-tric, or human centered. Environmental groups have been attempting to change this to a biocentric or ecocentric viewpoint, which includes the rights of animals and the environment. These views are nature centered instead of human centered. This stu

Definition of the Oedipus ComplexDefinition of the Oedipus Complex February 1, 1997 Michelle Bauknecht The positive libidinal feelings of a child to the parent of the opposite sex and hostile or jealous feelings toward the parent of the same sex that may be a source of adult personality disorder when unresolved. It is a pattern of profound emotional ambivalence, a troublesome mixture of love and hate. The Oedipus Complex occurs during the phallic stage, from roughly ages 3-6 years. Freud believed that during this stage boys see

Abortion: Birth Control or Legal Murder?Abortion: Birth Control or Legal Murder? Approximately 1.6 million murders are committed legally each year. With the exception of laws in few states, the mutilated bodies of the victims are thrown into dumpsters like pieces of rotten meat. While these victims lay waiting in the infested dumpsters to be hauled off to a landfill, the murderers are in their offices waiting for their next patient--the accomplice to the murder. This is the murder of an innocent child by a procedure known as abortion.

A Review of The Outsiders Club Screened on BBC 2A Review of The Outsiders Club Screened on BBC 2 in October 96 MA Diploma Disability Studies INTRODUCTION I decided to write a review on the social group known as The Outsiders. The group\'s main aim is to enable disabled adults to form personal relationships, including specifically sexual ones (Shakespeare 1996), either with each other or with non-disabled members. The group has been in existence for several years, and has attracted a great deal of attention, including reaction from present a

Post-Colonialism: Trying To Regain Ethnic IndividuPost-Colonialism: Trying To Regain Ethnic Individuality Indeed, the stranger has unusual customs. The white man held the paper like a sacred thing. His hands shook, and we mistrusted him... For how many moons will the stranger be among us? (Vera 43) The stranger still lives among the people of Zimbabwe, though the colonial political authority has left. Yet I wonder if the town elder speaking in the above passage from Yvonne Vera\'s Nehanda would recognize current Zimbabwean authorities as strang

Gender StereotypesGender Stereotypes Prof. Karen Hall Teodor Dimitrov AUB102 ID#019500040 Today, every one of us is spending more of his leisure time watching TV, listening to the radio or reading newspapers and magazines. The shows on the TV and the articles in the newspapers influence our decision process, shaping our perceptions for the world. Besides the positive fact that we are better informed and in touch with the latest news, we should be aware that accepting this enormous flow of information and allowing